Motor vehicle



June 25, 1940.

F. M. SMITH MOTOR VEHICLE l'. ml

2 Sheets-Sheet l M ylgq.

- TORNE Y6.

Patented June 25, 1940 2,205,636 Moron vEincLE Frank M. Smith, Dearborn, Mich., assigner, by mesne assignments, to Stout Engineering Laboratories, Inc., Dearborn, Mich., a corporation of Michigan lpplication August 16, 1937, Serial No. 159,208

3 Claims. (Cl. 180-54) This invention relates generally to improvements in automotive vehicles.4 More particularly it relates to an automobile vehicle having a novel form of -body construction which is primarily intended to make available a substantial 'increase in usable space within the interior of the vehicle body.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a vehicle body construction in which asubstantial increase in the interior space available for use is made, without at the same time materially increasing the wheel base or the overall length of the vehicle-body as a whole.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a vehicle body, construction which is of generally rectangular configuration, having upwardly extending front and rear, as well as side walls, which together with a floor and roof form a boxlike structure having a relatively large interior space available for use. The present invention contemplates the provision of partitions interiorly of the boxlike body structure thus formed, separating the interior of the vehicle into a drivers compartment at the forward end thereof, located substantiallyover the front wheels of the vehicle, a central or passenger carrying compartment on a level substantially lower than the level of the drivers compartment located -intermediate the front and rear wheels of the vehicle, and a rear or storage compartment located substantially over the rear wheels of the vehicle, and consequently having a oor level substantially higher than the oor level of the passenger compartment.

In order to provide adequate clearance for the front and rear wheels of the vehicle, it is necessary to provide the floor level of the compartment disposed over these wheels, substantially higher than the oor level of the central or passenger compartment and consequently while sumcient head room is available for seated paassengers in the front and rear compartments, the body may conveniently be constructed to provide suflcient head room for standing persons in the passenger compartment. l

'I'he invention contemplates the provision of a motor for driving the vehicle, located inwardly of the side walls thereof and forwardly of the rear Wheels, but substantially rearwardly of the front wheels. Thus it will be seen that the motor is in substantially the longitudinal central portion of the vehicle construction as a whole. The disposition of the motor in this position has been found to be particularly advantageous lfrom the standpoint of weight distribution and has been found to give the vehicle as a whole the desirable balance and weight distribution upon. lall four wheels, making it therefore -exceptionally -easy to handle and operate.

In order to provide adequate facilities for ventilating the motor, the present invention contemplates the provision of a ilue extending substantially vertically along the partition .separating the passenger compartment from the rear storage compartment, which iiue opens through the roof and has its lowerv end communicating with a housing surrounding the upper portion of the motor. The housing surrounding the motor is open at the bottom in order that air may enter from `the normal high pressure area underneath the body and .pass upwardly around the motor serving to cool the same and then pass upwardly and outwardly through the flue.

The invention further contemplates the provision of a removably mounted tightly sealedhousing for enclosingv th front, top, andlateral sides of the motor, whereby the housing may conveniently be removed from the interior of the vehicle in order that access may be had to the motor to repair or adjust the same.

The present invention contemplates the provision of particularly effective sealing means for mounting this housing around the motor in order that there will be no communication between the interior of the housing and the interior of the passenger compartment whereby fumes from the motor might possibly enter the interior of the vehicle body construction as a whole.

Still further the invention contemplates the provision of a housing for said motor of such construction that it serves to preclude the transmission of sound from the motor to the interior of thevehicle. v

Still further the present invention contemplates the provision of a housing of such design and construction that it may conveniently be utilized as a table or support within the seating compartment of the vehicle as a Whole, thereby providing a useful and ornamental interior appearance for the .passenger compartment of the vehicle and yet at the same time permitting the disposal of the motor in a position where it will y one form of the invention or which may be disposed transversely in the vertically extending ventilating ue and may if found either desirable or necessary have a fan associated therewith for increasing the circulation through the flue.

Many other and further objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become clearly apparent from the following specication when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof.

Figure 1 is a side elevational view with parts thereof in section, illustrating in detail the ex-v terior configuration of the vehicle body as a whole, and specifically illustrating the manner in which the motor is mounted in the longitudinal central portion thereof;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the removably mounted housing, which serves to provide a closure for separating the motor compartment'from the passenger compartment of the vehicle body;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken through the connection between the removable housing for the motor and the adjacent portion of the partition member to which this housing is sealed, illustrating the manner in which an extremely tight and effective sealed joint between the housing" and the adjacent portions of the body is obtained;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantlally alongsthe line 4 4 of Fig. 1, illustrating ln detail the interior construction and arrangement of the compartments within the vehicle body;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view, illustrating a modified form of the invention, in which the flue for conducting air from the motor outwardly through the vent in the roof of the vehicle is provided with an enlarged portion in whichl a radiator and circulatory fan may be mounted if desired.

With more particular reference to the drawings, it will be readily appreciated that the construction illustrated therein is more or less diagrammatic and merely discloses one speciilc construction and arrangement of parts embodying the inventive improvements of the present invention.

While the particular size of the vehicle is not a particularly important feature of the present invention, the improved vehicle body construction may be mounted "pon a chassis having a wheel base substantially the same length as conventional present day automotive vehicles. In the ,construction shown, the vehicle includes a body,

generally designated as III, including slide walls I I extending substantially vertically from a floor I2 to a generally rounded roof I3. The front and rear walls I5 and I4, respectively, of the vehicle body slope upwardly at a rather steep angle from the level of the floor tomate with the roof I3. 'I'he front wall I6 is provided with a grilled opening I6 interiorly of which is mounted a radiator II. The interior of the vehicle body constructionas a whole is provided with a partition 2li which serves to separate the forward portion of the vehicle to provide a drivefs compartment I9 having a seat 2l therein. f It will bev noted by reference to Fig. l of th drawings that this drivers compartment is located directly over the front wheels Il of thevehicle and is provided with a oor 22 bn a level substantially higher than the level of the floor I2 of the main or passenger carrying compartment 24.

'I'he interior of the body is likewise provided with a partition 2l which separates vthe main passenger carrying compartment 24 of the vehicle from a rear or storage compartment 21, which, similar to the drivers compartment I9, is located over the wheels of the vehicle and consequently is provided with a oor 2l on an elevation sutilciently high to provide adequate clearance for the rea-r wheels 29 of the vehicle.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the floor of the vehicle comprises the flooring l2, 22,

and 28, and that the oor l28 is located over the rear wheels 2l and that the floor 22 is located over the front wheels Il, in each instance these oors being sufficiently high to provide adequate clearance for the wheels. In this way it will be understood that all available interior space of the vehicle is utilized.

While the body construction as a whole may be formed in any suitable conventional manner, it has been found preferable to dispense with a chassis entirely and to form the frame from a plurality of tubular members welded together to provide a strong, rigid, trusslike framework for the body, which constitutes not only the body of the vehicle but the chassis. 'Ihe floor I2 of the vehicle is provided with a generally rectangular opening 3B therein immediately forwardly of the partition 25 and inwardly from the side Walls l I. A conventional automobile motor, generally designated as 32, is mounted in this opening and it will be readily apparent that this motor may drive the rear wheels 29 in much the same manner as a conventional automobile motor drives these wheels in a conventional vehicle construction.

Formed as a part of the partition 25 is an upwardly extending hollow flue I6 which is preferably formed of suitable sound proofing material and which has its upper end opening through a suitable aperture 31 in the roof I3 of the ve hicle. 'I'he port l1 may be conveniently closed by a pivotally mounted closure member 38 which may, if desired, be operated from the interior of the vehicle by means of suitable mechanism not shown.

Thelower end of the flue 36 opens above the motor 32 and it wi be noted that the rear wall of the flue extends downwardly to a point beneath the floor 28 of the rear or storage compartment of the vehicle. Consequently, the rear wall of the flue 3B forms a rear wall for housing the motor as a whole as hereinafter described in detail. Likewise, it will be seen that this flue structure li serves together with the partitioning member 25 to aid in defining the rear or storage compartment 21 of the vehicle body construction,

access to which may conveniently be had through a suitable opening 3l at one side of the vehicle.

The motor is enclosed by means of a removably mounted housing. generally designated as 40, which is preferably formed of suitable soundproong material in order to eliminate the possibility of the motor noise being transmitted into the passenger carrying compartment of the vehicle. The housing 4l includes a top wall 4I, side walls 42, and a front wall 43. 'I'he housing 4l may conveniently be locked in position in the interior of the vehicle body by suitable fasteners of any conventional type.

The bottom marginal edges of the front wall 43 and side walls 42, as well as the rear marginal edges of the side walls and top wall 4'I, are sealed to the adjacent portions of the body structure in the manner disclosed in detail in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Throughout the portions of the vehicle body with which these marginal portions of the housing 4| are adapted to mate, a channel member is secured in position and carries interiorly thereof a resilient sealing-strip 46 which may conveniently be formed ofsponge rubber or other suitable resilient material. It will, therefore, be readily apparent that when the housing 40 is secured in position, it will be tightly sealed with respect to the adjacent portions of the vehicle body and will serve to preclude the possibility of air passing from the space around the motor into the interior of the vehicle body.

The motor being enclosed in this manner and the housing in which the motor` is housed being open at the bottom, it will be apparent that air may pass upwardly from the underside of the vehicle around the motor and outwardly throughthe flue 36. y

As is seen in Figure 1 of the drawings, the radiator l1 may be connected to the motor by means of suitable conduits I9 in order that water may circulate through the radiator and cooling wstem of the motor in the conventional manner.

As a. 'modified form of the invention, the flue structure may be altered in the manner disclosed in Fig. 5 of the drawings. In this form of the invention, the flue is provided with an enlarged portion adjacent its upper end to provide means for mounting a radiator 55, which radiator will inherently be in the path of air passing upwardly through the iiue and which may be connected to the cooling system of the motor by suitable conduits 56. If desired, a motor driven fan 51 may be mounted 'in the iiue 5l to. accelerate movement of the air upwardly around the motor through the flue and through the radiator 55 and thence upwardly through the opening 31 inthe roof of the vehicle.

From the foregoing, it will be readily appreciated that the vehicle body construction disclosed has the motor thereof mounted in such a position that a particularly effective distribution of weight is obtained. Consequently, it will be readily appreciated that the interior space available within the vehicle body is substantially greater than the interior space available in conventional present day vehicle body constructions. It will also be readily apparent that these particularly advan tageous results are achieved without increasing the overall length of the vehicle and without substantially increasing the wheel base thereof. Therefore, the vehicle will handle in much the same manner as conventional present day vehicles and will at the same time provide a vastly' increased amount of interior available useable space.

Access to the interior of the vehicle may be conveniently had through a door .l which opens v through the side wall Il of the vehicle into the central or pmger carrying compartment 24. Access to the drivers compartment may be had either through a door Il connecting with the passenger carrying compartment 2i or through a door 62 opening directly into the drivers compartment of the vehicle from the outside.

Ashasbeenexplainedabovaacceestothe.

rear or storage compartment 21 may be conveniently had through the opening 39 at one side of the motor housing.

While but one specific form of the invention has been' disclosed, many other and various forms thereof embodying the improvements set forth in the subjoined claims will be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art. y

Whatiselaimedis: 4 Y

1. An automotive vehicle including front and rear walls, side walls, a floor, and a lroof,va partition extending transversely of the vehicle substantially forwardly of the rear wall thereof, an opening in the floor of said vehicle in substantially the centralr portion thereof extending forwardly from said partition, a motor fordriving l said vehicle mounted in said opening, said partition embodying a flue extending vertically through the roof of the vehicle, and a removable housing adapted to cooperate with said floor,

partition and flue serving'to enclose said motor, andv means for sealing the marginal portions of said housing to preclude communication between the interior of said housing and the interior of said vehicle body. i

2."An automotive vehicle including front and rear walls, side walls,.a oor, and a roof, a vpar-- tition extending transversely of the vehicle substantially forwardly of the rear wall thereof, an opening in the floor of said vehicle in vsubstantially the central portion thereof extending forwardly from said partition, a motor for driving said vehicle mounted in said opening, said .partition embodying a ue extending vertically through the roof of the vehicle, and a removable housing adapted to, cooperate with said floor,

vpartition and flue serving to enclosevsaid motor,

means for sealing the marginal portions of said housing to preclude communication between the interior of said housing and the interior of said vehicle body, and means in said flue servingto cause the circulation of air upwardly through tlie opening in the oor of said vehicle past said motor and out through said ue.

. 3. An automotive vehicle including front and rearwalls, side walls, a iioor, anda roof, a partition extending transversely of the vehicle substantially forwardly of the rear wall thereof, an opening in the floor of said vehicle in substantially the central portion thereof extending forwardly from said partition, a motor for said vehicle mountedin said opening, said partition embodying a iiue extending vertically through the roof of the vehicle. and a removable homing adapted to cooperate with said iioor, partition and flue serving to enclose said motor. means for sealing the marginal portions of said homing to preclude communication between the interim' of said housing and the interior of said vehiclebody,meansinsaidueservlng tocause the circulation of air upwardly through the openf ing in die floor of said vehicle past said motor and out through said flue, and a radiator in said fine connected `to thecooling system of said motor.

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